Circle of Life with a Hawk

A Red-tailed Hawk enjoys a meal

Farm fields often have a row of trees along the perimeter of the field to act as windbreaks. I was driving along a field that was lined with mesquite trees when we came upon a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Juvenile Red-tails seem less 'jumpy' than adult Red-tails do, and this bird did not appear concerned with our truck. The bird was looking down often and my friend said, "I think it is looking at quail under the tree." When we looked at the hawk through our cameras, we spotted something different!!! Can you see what we saw?

The hawk had a Sonoran Gopher Snake! It took the snake in its beak and the snake, still alive, curled around. The Red-tailed Hawk's yellow eyes and the brown-barred tail lets us know this is a juvenile hawk.

The hawk was working to get a better grip on its prey. It quickly grabbed the snake with talons while still holding on to the snake with its beak. The hawk used its wings to maintain its balance on one foot while the snake was struggling.

Now, with a good grip on the snake with its talons, the Red-tail used its bill to grab the snake by the head and bit. The pressure on either the skull or the neck of the snake dispatched the prey. From this point on, the snake was limp. The shot below gives a clear look at the tail of the hawk.

The struggle was over. All that was left to do was for the bird to enjoy its meal. Red-tailed Hawks are very much generalists with their diet. Snakes are a common prey item in the Southwest. Birdnote talks about these birds' eating habits.

Red-tailed Hawks are a very common raptor throughout the United States but getting the opportunity to see one eating is not a common sight. Click here to learn more.

As soon as the Red-tail began swallowing the snake, it went down quickly. But then, the hawk stopped. Perhaps its belly was full. This shot looks like the hawk was thinking, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

The hawk rested for a bit with the end of the snake just dangling from the bird's bill. This entire process seemed to last forever, but in reality it was only just under four minutes from when we first saw the Red-tail until after this photo when we left.

I'm pretty certain I may never again be able to closely watch a Red-tailed Hawk consume a snake, but I have memories to last a lifetime.

As with all birds, Cornell Lab's All About Birds website is a wonderful, easy-to-read, resource on Red-tailed Hawks. If you'd like to read more, click here .